Houthi Attacks on Saudi Airports and Infrastructure Continue Amid Yemen Fighting

Yemen’s Houthi forces have launched multiple missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports and infrastructure in recent days, killing civilians and forcing temporary closures. The deadliest strike hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday, killing at least twelve people and wounding more than three hundred. Subsequent attacks on the same airport and on other facilities have continued, while the Saudi-led coalition has reported intercepting additional projectiles.

Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said the Houthis carried out roughly twenty attacks on King Khalid airport this month. Separate strikes on Abha airport near the Yemeni border killed three people and wounded twenty-eight. On Thursday the Houthis also fired missiles at the presidential palace complex in Aden, the seat of the internationally recognized Yemeni government, killing five. Saudi civil-defense authorities issued and later lifted early-warning alerts for Najran and Jizan.

The Houthis have claimed responsibility for strikes on the Riyadh airport, on Aramco facilities in Dhahran and Riyadh, and on other sites. Their military spokesman stated that Saudi airspace and airports were unsafe for civilian traffic, while excluding the airspace over Mecca and Medina. The group has framed the attacks as retaliation for Saudi-led operations in support of the Yemeni government, which has been trying to retake territory along the Red Sea coast.

Saudi authorities closed King Khalid airport after the Saturday strike and kept it closed through at least Saturday of the following week. Multiple airlines suspended flights. Footage from the terminal showed travelers, including some in pilgrimage clothing. Among the dead were Saudi citizens, Bangladeshis and nationals of several other countries. A later strike on the same airport killed one additional person.

The escalation follows Houthi advances that seized parts of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline earlier in the month. That coastline sits beside a major shipping route and an export path for Saudi oil. Saudi warplanes have struck Houthi positions, and the coalition has listed dozens of attacks on Saudi infrastructure in recent weeks. On one day the coalition said it hit more than eighty Houthi military sites in Saada, Hodeidah, Jawf and Marib.

Iran has been described by Saudi and coalition officials as a supplier of advanced missiles, drones and other equipment to the Houthis. Iranian officials have not confirmed direct operational control of the recent strikes. The attacks have occurred against the backdrop of wider regional tensions that include earlier exchanges involving Israel and Iran.

Saudi media and energy officials reported a limited fire at Aramco’s headquarters in Dhahran after one strike. Staff were told to work from home. The energy ministry described the damage as contained. No major disruption to oil exports has been confirmed, though the repeated targeting of airports and energy sites has raised concerns among airlines and shipping operators.

The Yemeni government in Aden has condemned the palace attack and the broader campaign. Fighting inside Yemen continues, with reports of Houthi pressure on Taiz and government efforts to hold or retake coastal areas. Displacement and shortages of food and fuel have worsened in several governorates.

Saudi officials have said the kingdom will respond firmly. The coalition has continued interceptions and counter-strikes. No ceasefire talks have been announced. The pattern of airport attacks has already altered civilian air travel into the kingdom and forced temporary rerouting of some flights. Further Houthi statements have warned of continued operations against Saudi targets they describe as legitimate military objectives.